The romance of Guy of Warwick. The second or 15th-century version. Edited from the paper ms. Ff. 2. 38. in the University Library, Cambridge, by Dr. Julius Zupitza ...
Zupitza, Julius, 1844-1895.
He haþ hym restyd but a whyle,
But the mowntance of a myle.
He sawe many armed men
Page 81
Faste in the strete renne.
2812
'What,' he seyde, 'ys all thys fare,
That y see in the strete thare?
I see knyghtys armed wele
Bothe in yron and in stele.'
2816
Than bespake a man wyse
Of Ynglonde and Englysche:
'Hyt ys the admyrall Coldran,
A cosyn of the ryche sowdan.
2820
He ys grete, hye and longe:
In all þys worlde ys none so stronge.
Hys wepon ys smered wythall
Wyth venome bytterer þen þe galle.
2824
Ther ys no man in ȝorthe, y wote,
But he schulde dye, and he hym smote.
He slewe my lordys sone þe emperowre [folio 179a:2]
Thys endurs day in a stowre.
2828
Moche shame he hath vs wroght
And ofte on vs warre broght.
Ther ys no knyght in londe so wyght,
That durste ones wyth hym fyght.
2832
Wyth hym ys the kyng of Turrye,
That ledyth all that cheualrye.'
¶ Gye seyde to hys companye:
'Arme we vs all in hye.
2836
The sarasyns wyll we assayle:
To smyte faste we wyll not fayle.'
They be armed euery man:
On ther horsys they lepe than.
2840
They went forthe to fyghtynge:
I wot, ther was no lettynge.
Gye can the admerall assayle:
Hawberke nor schelde myght not avayle.
2844
The hedde fro the body he schare:
To the emperowre a man hyt bare.
When þe emperowre hys hedde had,
Page 82
He was bothe yoyfull and gladde.
2848
¶ Harrowde smote the kynge of Turrye,
The moste schrewe of all þe crye:
Thorow þe body he gaf hym a wounde,
That dedde he felle to the grownde.
2852
Than come prekynge Gandyners,
Of Almayne a knyght ferse:
Smetyn he hath Rayndowne,
A more traytur was neuer none.
2856
Euyn in two he clafe hys harte:
That was a strock smarte.
Then came forthe Mordagowre,
The steward to the emperowre:
2860
Bolde he was and hardye,
But a*. [MS. And no. See note.] traytowre, wytterlye.
He smote there a sarazyn:
Hys hedde he made hym*. [MS. hyt.] to tyne.
2864
He sturde hym full boldelye, [folio 179b:1]
And so dud all, that were wyth Gye.
Whyll Gye had hys wepon in holde,
He slewe many sarasyns bolde.
2868
So dud Harrowde, the gode knyght:
He payned hym faste for to fyght.
¶ The sarasyns were swythe stronge
And helde fyght begle and longe.
2872
Then came forthe Astadart,
A sarasyn of a wyckyd parte.
The burges sone of Burrye,
A bolde knyght and an hardye,
2876
Syr Tebawde, he hath slayne
Wyth a scharpe swyrde and wyth mayne.
Then come forthe Aulart,
A bolde sarasyn, wyth a darte:
2880
Syr Gylmyn he broght to grownde
And gaue hym the detheys wownde.
Page 83
That sawe Harrawde the gode:
He was sory, be my hode.
2884
Aulart he hyt wyth gode harte:
The hedde fro the body starte.
¶ When Astadart sawe þat dede,
For sorowe he wolde nere wede.
2888
He smote Harrowde anon ryght
And he defendyd hym, as a doghty knyȝt.
They two smeten togedur faste,
That of þer horsys downe were þey caste.
2892
There þey wyth ther brondys bryght
Faste togedur they dud fyght.
They brake scheldes and speres longe:
They were knyghtys styffe and stronge.
2896
On þer helmes þey smete wyth soche dynte,
That þe fyre flewe owt, as hyt doþe of flynte.
Then Harrowde hym folowde faste,
But to hym come helpe at the laste.
2900
Ther came an hundurde sarasyns then,
That dud hym moche stronge pyne.
Ther þey had hym almoste slone,
But syr Gye come anone. [folio 179b:2]
2904
Hys swyrde harde dud he grype:
The hed of of oon he can wype,
Another he slowe wythowte lettynge,
The thrydde also, wythowte lesynge.
2908
He hym helpyd at that nede
And sett hym vpon hys stede.
There he slowe and broght to grownde
Many sarasyns in that stownde.
2912
On bothe partes were slayne vnryde,
But moo on the sarasyns syde.
Gye and hys meyne
Haue slayne of them plente.
2916
¶ The sarasyns flewe home ageyne.
Gye them chacyd wyth myȝt and mayne.
Page 84
Or they were of of the felde wente,
Many were slayne and all toschente.
2920
Ȝyt was Astadart behynde,
That the crysten men schende;
But he flewe at the laste
On a rabett swyfte and faste.
2924
Hys gode schelde was fro hym reeuyd,
His helme was broke to*. [Before to the abbreviation of and is blotted out.] hys heuydde.*. [MS. hedde.]
Gye hym sawe and was drerye,
That he schulde passe so lyghtlye.
2928
Gye faste aftur hym dud ryde:
For nothynge he wolde abyde.
'Astadart,' seyde Gye, 'turne the
And oon tyme juste wyth me.
2932
Be the trowthe, þat y leue on,
Here ys no man, but y allone.'
¶ Then seyde Astadart to syr Gye:
'I the swere, wytterlye,
2936
Be thys day and be my browe
And be Mahownde, þat y in trowe,
I schall neuer be glad nor blythe,
Or y haue thy hedd swythe.
2940
Y haue behet hyt to my lemman,
That ys the doghter of the sowdan.' [folio 180a:1]
¶ He turned hym and faght faste:
Ther was nother of other agaste.
2944
Astadart smote Gyone
Thorowe hawberke and hakatone
Ynto the body wyth a spere:
Soche a dynte had he neuer ere.
2948
Wyth yre Gye smote hym in felde:
Ther sauyd hym nodur hawberk nor shelde.
He smote hym wyth grete envye
Wyth a spere thorow the bodye.
Page 85
2952
Astadart flewe awey:
Gye hym folowed, per ma fay.
The lyght rabet bare hym awey:
Gye was sory, the sothe to say.
2956
¶ Now ys Gye to hys felows went:
To the cyte they be lente.
In the cyte ys game and glee,
That the sarasyns scowmfet bee.
2960
The emperowre sende aftur Gye
And hym honowred: he was worthy.
The emperowre seyde: 'be seynt Rogere,
I wyll the geue my doghter dere.
2964
Thou art a man of grete valowre.
Ryght wolde, þou schuldest be emperowre.
All, that euyr be my mayne,
I wyll, that they bowe to the.'
2968
¶ The steward sate at the borde
And was sory of that worde.
To Gye he had grete envye
And thoght to do hym trecherye.
2972
